Competitive Analysis

On a related note, here's some other "competitors" we might also consider in planning our marketing site:

We should have a thread for competitive analysis, maybe move this there.

http://web.burza.hr/en/ (particularly, http://web.burza.hr/en/core.web/#content)

ha! What IS that? You dug up one that even I didn't know about

On a related note, here's some other "competitors" we might also consider in planning our marketing site:

We should have a thread for competitive analysis, maybe move this there.

Done (see this thread).

http://web.burza.hr/en/ (particularly, http://web.burza.hr/en/core.web/#content)

ha! What IS that? You dug up one that even I didn't know about

I'm just full of surprises today, ain't I!?! Heck you might even see this board transition to IPB in the next 72 hours or so so we can have file/image posts with our posts.

This is a very good article to read even though its focus is on another CMS, Bricolage. In particular, the sections on app. frameworks and publishing systems should be required reading:
http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2004/08/27/bricolage.html

Dave,

Have you tried the HTML export stuff? It's currently rudimentary, but it does build out a static version of the site as HTML files.

I guess that's why I got confused...I've done that for a client who has no scripting at all:

http://www.freunde-oppenheimer.de

Worked up a simple template on my local machine, then made the pages, set things to use Friendly alias URLs, and Exported the site. Piece of cake.

Converting his MS Word documents from the past four years is a pain; that's why I made them plain HTML documents using NeoOffice/J and linking them manually on the News/Articles page as I convert them.

Dave,

Have you tried the HTML export stuff? It's currently rudimentary, but it does build out a static version of the site as HTML files.

I've never actually used it but I can image what it does I think. Proper publishing capability is triggered via workflow, which I realize we're a ways off from. So for example, a user creates a new press release, this is reviewed by an editor, he approves it and it then gets assembled (templates, images, etc.) and pushed out either to the file system or via FTP. I won't get too in to it unless someone has specific questions because MODx just isn't built for this sort of thing at this point, IMHO of course.

I've just got my new laptop nearly to where I want it, so I will review this and other threads and respond here later today.

Sorry for going silent for a bit

Dave,

Have you tried the HTML export stuff? It's currently rudimentary, but it does build out a static version of the site as HTML files.

I've never actually used it but I can image what it does I think. Proper publishing capability is triggered via workflow, which I realize we're a ways off from. So for example, a user creates a new press release, this is reviewed by an editor, he approves it and it then gets assembled (templates, images, etc.) and pushed out either to the file system or via FTP. I won't get too in to it unless someone has specific questions because MODx just isn't built for this sort of thing at this point, IMHO of course.

I've written a workflow system sometime ago using CLASP/ASP. It's was simple yet very flexible and powerful with checkin/checkout/aprroval features. I think I might create a demo of it and post it here sometime in the future.

Ok, I flipped through most of those sites in this thread, and they all have something in common:

It looks like someone threw up on the site.

What I mean by this, is that there is no coherent idea pushed across to the the viewer within the first ten seconds of the page view. I get a decent idea that each one is a CMS, but only because I am in 'the know'

Personally, Tattoo is going to convey a whole new idea to an existing market...carving out its own niche so to speak. Consider us the iPods of CMSes. CMSes existed before Tattoo, but it wasn't UNTIL Tattoo that they were easily accessible to the common person.

As far as site ideas are concerned, there is one in particular that really has appealed to me thuse far: http://civicspacelabs.org/home/

While there implementation beyond the first page is not perfect, I think that this is a tremendous idea to work from. What is Tattoo? Tattoo for Artists (designers) Tattoo for Techies (developers). Instantaneously people will recognize exactly which area they should funnel into. ALl the needless rhetoric and filler text that is so apparent on the front of many websites (and in many of my messages ) is completly wiped away.

Make our website as easy to use as Tattoo, and people will use it.

I've written a workflow system sometime ago using CLASP/ASP. It's was simple yet very flexible and powerful with checkin/checkout/aprroval features. I think I might create a demo of it and post it here sometime in the future.

That's the thing, workflow goes hand in hand with versioning usually. I would recommend an stepped approach to this, simple workflow at first then more complex workflow later. And I think it'd be helpful (and maybe easier to program) if it was an option in the admin. For small sites that don't want it, don't turn it on and none of your content is versioned or has to go through workflow.

Add another one to the mix:
http://bricolage.cc/docs/screenshots/index1.html